Wednesday, August 28, 2002

A Jerusalem WeddingWe have a friend, Jody's teacher Aviva, who has married off four kids in like the last 18 months. The weddings are mostly huge, 400+ people or so, and Aviva always invites her whole class and their spouses (OK, husbands, since the class is only women). I guess to save a little postage, Aviva handed out the invitations in class one week, but Jody wasn't there (we were already on our summer vacation in the US, it was July).

So, Jody knew that the wedding was coming up in August, maybe even this week, but she wasn't sure when and she was a little confused that she didn't get an invitation (she didn't know they were being handed out in class). So she called up Aviva's house and got one of the kids and asked "Did I miss the wedding?" "No, it's tonight!"

So Jody calls me up at work and says, we're going to a wedding tonight. Well, I work in Tel Aviv, the wedding is in Jerusalem (where we live), and I haven't brought the right clothes or anything. But fortunately, today I decided to wear khaki pants and a blue button down shirt instead of a purple polo which is more likely for me. Just luck. Jody said she'd bring a jacket and I should be OK.

On the way out of the office, I ran into a colleague from work who told me that she went to a wedding recently and half the people were in jeans and a t-shirt so I would probably be the overdressed.

I got stuck in nasty traffic on the Jerusalem Tel Aviv highway - things back up at Shoresh these days, I don't know why, there are always two big trucks playing tag, doesn't matter what time of day. Can drive you crazy. So I arrive into the parking lot just as the men are dancing the women to the cheder yichud, which is out in the parking lot. Israel is casual that way. I park (mostly illegally but the Ethiopian security guard says it's OK). Another guard runs the wand over me. My keys ring as usual, but I don't look like a terrorist so she shrugs me through.

There are hundreds of people inside, 99% national religious, nearly all the men in the same white shirt and dark pants, the only differences being whether the shirt i tucked in or not. No ties. I'm definitely not under or overdressed though I am only one of .03% of the attendees in a BLUE shirt. But it's OK, because I see Jody and we eat moussaka and shnitzel and say mazel tov to Aviva and watch the dancing and feel a little old since the bride and groom are barely 18 and we're both over 40. But I'm smiling as I write this which is why I love Jerusalem and Israel and that's why I'm writing this blog. Hope you enjoy...